What's New @ IEEE in Signal Processing

January 2006 Volume 7, Number 1

IN THIS ISSUE:|
1. Electromagnetic Field Conference to Focus on Computer-Aided Design
2. Nanorings Seen As Breakthrough for Faster, Energy-Efficient Computing
3. Digital Television to Impact Media Industry and Beyond
4. New Technology Removes Motion from MRI Scans
5. Co-Hosted Signal & Image Processing Workshops Call for Papers
6. IEEE Launches Revamped Website
7. New Image and Signal Proceedings Available Online
8. Laser Pulses Provide Insight to Blood Flow Changes in Stroke Victims
9. Technology's 2006 Winners and Losers: IEEE Spectrum Reports
10. Multi-Wavelength Images Improve on Flat Photos
11. Online Seminars Offer Tips on Searching IEEE Digital Library

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1. ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN
The Biennial IEEE Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation will hold its 12th meeting from 30 April to 3 May in Miami, Florida, USA. The conference centers on the latest evolutions and trends in electromagnetic fields and wave interactions with emphasis on the computer-aided design of low-and-high frequency devices, components and systems. Topics will include nanomegnetics, static and quasi-static fields, and software methodology. For more information, or to register to attend, visit: www.cefc2006.com

Coming soon: The 2006 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, 14 to 19 May, Toulouse, France: www.icassp2006.org/

2. NANORINGS SEEN AS BREAKTHROUGH FOR FASTER, ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPUTING
Irregularly-shaped cobalt or nickel rings 100 nanometers in diameter may be the key to high-speed computing that consumes just one percent of the power of traditional memory storage devices, according to a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The "nanorings" serve as memory cells for magnetic random-access memory (MRAM), and because of their irregular shape, are immune to the problem of stray magnetic fields, researchers say, and can be packed together extremely densely. As a result, the amount of information that can be stored in a given area is much greater than traditional data storage methods. The Johns Hopkins team says its novel fabrication of the nanorings, a multi-step procedure involving self-assembly, thin film deposition and dry etching, is fast, efficient and inexpensive. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/jhu-mdb011106.php

3. DIGITAL TELEVISION TO IMPACT MEDIA INDUSTRY AND BEYOND
The first-ever comprehensive collection of digital television (DTV) tutorial papers has been published in the January 2006 issue of "Proceedings of the IEEE" (v. 94, no. 1). With contributions from international experts on DTV, the issue offers insight into the growing impact of digital television in two overview papers and in three special sections, which describe in detail each of the primary emerging DTV Systems that technically dominate North America, Europe and Japan. The table of contents and abstracts for all papers in this issue can be found in the IEEE Xplore digital library, where subscribers may also access the full text of the articles: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/tocresult.jsp?isnumber=33232

4. NEW TECHNOLOGY REMOVES MOTION FROM MRI SCANS
Traditional MRI scans require a patient to remain completely still -- something often easier said than done. Now, researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute have developed a new technology which they say allows for clearer MRI scans with less interference from patient motion. The method, called Periodically Rotated Overlapping Parallel Lines with Enhanced Reconstruction (PROPELLER), tracks the movement of the patient during a MRI scan, then removes it. The first application for the technology is motion-insensitive imaging, allowing large segments of frequently "non-still" patients to be scanned. The second application is sensitive to even the smallest motion of a patient and involves stroke imaging, where the technology can be used to target and define strokes in a process called Diffusion Weighted Imaging. Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060105083855.htm

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5. CO-HOSTED SIGNAL & IMAGE PROCESSING WORKSHOPS CALL FOR PAPERS
The co-hosted 12th IEEE Digital Signal Processing Workshop and 4th IEEE Image Processing Workshop are now seeking papers on topics ranging from adaptive systems and filtering to nonlinear systems and signal processing. Summaries are due 3 April 2006. The workshop will take place in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, from 24 to 27 September. For details, visit: outreach.uwyo.edu/conferences/dsp2006/index.htm

6. IEEE LAUNCHES REVAMPED WEBSITE
The IEEE website this month underwent the first of several planned enhancements intended to make the site a more valuable resource for members, the technical profession and the general public. The initial updates, which are based on both user comments and Web best practices, include additional search capabilities, a refreshed design, shorter URLs and a migration toward a more streamlined navigation. Check out the new site at: www.ieee.org/

7. NEW IMAGE AND SIGNAL PROCESSING PROCEEDINGS AVAILABLE ONLINE
If you couldn't make it to Croatia for the 2005 International Symposium on Image and Signal Processing and Analysis, the proceedings are now available through the IEEE Xplore digital library. These proceedings cover numerous special sessions on the most recent advancements, such as transforms and filter banks, facial analysis, and synthesis, among others. Institutions with subscriptions to IEEE online collections may have access to these proceedings, depending on their access rights: ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentCon.jsp?punumber=10202

8. LASER PULSES PROVIDE INSIGHT TO BLOOD FLOW CHANGES IN STROKE VICTIMS
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, report they have created a new laser technique to provide medical doctors with a better understanding of the blood flow changes that occur when patients experience small strokes. Through the use of two-photon fluorescence microscopy -- a strong imaging tool -- the researchers can produce and image blood clots in the arteries of brains to track blood flow and monitor the changes in surrounding vessels. Testing on the brains of anesthetized rats, researchers used the technique to send brief laser pulses to delve below the surface of the brain and measure blood flow in both directions. After a blood clot formed, researchers discovered that when blood flowed downstream of the clot, it reversed itself, possibly explaining how specific regions of the brain remain protected from damage during a stroke. Read more: www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/uoc--ult010306.php

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." ~ Niels Bohr

9. TECHNOLOGY'S 2006 WINNERS AND LOSERS: IEEE SPECTRUM REPORTS
This month, "IEEE Spectrum" magazine presents its third annual picks of the best and worst projects in technology. Winners include the Cell microprocessor and advances in LCD development, while losers include music-playing cell phones and Britain's national ID card. Also in this issue, the editors present seven more technologies that could eventually be winners or losers, and ask readers to give them the thumbs up or down. Visit: www.spectrum.ieee.org/jan06/featurearticles

Meanwhile, IEEE-USA's Today's Engineer forecasts technologies which may have an impact in 2006: www.todaysengineer.org/2006/Jan/forecast.asp

10. MULTI-WAVELENGTH IMAGES IMPROVE ON FLAT PHOTOS
Scientists are getting a much more in-depth view of neighboring galaxies thanks to new composite images of optical, radio, infrared, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. According to astronomers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, these composite, multi-wavelength images are for the first time able to observe the birth, life and death of massive stars. Read more: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060115173654.htm

11. ONLINE SEMINARS OFFER TIPS ON SEARCHING IEEE DIGITAL LIBRARY
Users of IEEE online technical information who are looking to improve their research skills may benefit from attending an online "Searching with IEEE Xplore" seminar. Event dates for February and March have just been announced. IEEE hosts regularly scheduled online seminars and training events, which are free to all. Advance registration is required, and space is limited. To sign up, visit: www.ieee.org/products/onlinepubs/form/free_training_form.html

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WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN SIGNAL PROCESSING
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Managing Editor: John Platt j.platt@ieee.org

Contributing Editors: Julie Compton, Diana Fuksin, Robert J. Howe, Brian Pedersen, Ryan Thomas

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